The 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale was billed as the best of the best and it truly was for vendors Lime Country Thoroughbred’s who achieved their best sale results yet.
The Southern Highlands-based farm sold four yearlings in book one of the sale for an aggregate of $1.55 million and an average price of $387,500.
Lime Country’s sale started strongly with Lot 1 the Redoute’s Choice filly out of A Real Princess knocked down to Shadwell Stud for $550,000.
The to...

Lime Country Thoroughbreds and Dato Tan Chin Nam’s Think Big Stud both celebrated their biggest yearling sale result on day two of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
They combined with lot 262, the bay colt by Fastnet Rock out of Norzita prepared by Lime Country as agent for Think Big Stud, which was knocked down to Queensland’s Aquis Farm for $660,000.
“It’s our highest grossing yearling sale ever and we’re satisfied and grateful to have achieved it with Lime Coun...

Last year John Bromley was watching the sale of his Savabeel colt out of A Real Princess in Sydney from his home in Taupo, New Zealand.
When the colt was knocked down for $650,000, the highest priced yearling he had ever sold, he was worried about what his neighbours might make of his celebrations.
This year he was ringside to watch the sale of A Real Princess’ Redoute’s Choice filly, a decision motivated partly by his absence last year but more so the novelty of selling the firs...

Former New Zealand operation Lime Country Thoroughbreds, which is now based near Bowral in the NSW Southern Highlands, went to $150,000 to purchase an Exceed Excel (Danehill) mare from the same family of Group One winner Yankee Rose (All American).
The placed mare Ella Supero (Exceed And Excel), who was catalogued as
Lot 654 and offered by Rushton Park, was sold in foal to Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Vancouver (Medaglia d'Oro).
Ella Supero is a half-sister to New Zealand Derb...

Lime Country Thoroughbreds' Greg and Jo Griffin couldn't be happier with their Magic Millions debut.
Having moved from New Zealand to the Southern Highlands of New South Wales in February, the Griffins presented their first draft at a Magic Millions sale with great success.
Five mares were presented under their Lime Country banner at the Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale with a 100 percent clearance rate, $1.14 million aggregate and $228,000 average.
"We're thrilled with what we have been a...

Thinking of You ticked all the boxes for Boomer Bloodstock's Craig Rounsefell who went to $325,000 to purchase the Lime Country Thoroughbreds' prepared mare, on behalf of Yarraman Park.
"I loved her physical type she's a good sized and well balanced mare," said Rounsefell.
"She was a very talented racehorse. She won her first two races and then she was only beaten by four lengths by Winx and First Seal in a Group One at her third start.
"Being free of Danehill she was one of the few mares in ...

Julian Blaxland was thrilled to secure a mare by one of his favourite sires, General Nediym on the third day of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale at the Gold Coast.
The Sydney-based bloodstock agent and Aquis Farm went to $265,000 to secure Marechal out of Lime Country Thoroughbred's draft.
The seven-year-old mare is a half-sister to Australian Cup winner and early Caulfield Cup favourite Humidor and she is in foal to I Am Invincible.
"I'm a big fan of General Nediym and it's speed o...

Lime Country Thoroughbred's Shooting To Win filly out of Sotela was knocked down to Nick Wakin's Hilldene Farm and Peter Ford Bloodstock for $130,000, on the first day of the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale on Thursday.
"We liked her on type and she was bred according to our matrix in terms of breeding overlay," said Watkin who recently established Hilldene Farm, a boutique nursery near Seymour in Victoria.
"She's a beautiful feminie filly and she met a lot of criteria th...

Trainer Darren Weir is chasing a Derby double with Volatile Mix, who showed classic staying prowess to claim the Gr.1 South Australian Derby at Morphettvile on Saturday.
The lightly raced Pentire colt will head towards the $600,000 Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 10.
"He's owned in Queensland so I'm pretty sure we'll be heading that way,'' said Weir referring to owners Graham and Linda Huddy.
Volatile Mix is the first foal out of the stakes placed High Chaparral mare ...

Lime Country sales graduate Cosmo Peridot scored his maiden victory in a maiden 3YO event over 1400m in Tokyo on Sunday.
Settled back by jockey Daichi Shibata, the southern hemisphere-bred two-year-old son of Jimmy Choux showed an excellent turn of foot against his older opponents, despite racing greenly, to win for trainer Yoshiyasu Takahashi.
Bred by Richard and Liz Wood's Chouxmaani Investments from their Testa Rossa mare, Diva Von Tessa, Cosmo Peridot was a $210,000 purchase by well-kn...

When the gavel fell at $620,000 for Lot 22 on the first day of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale it was a momentous result on several fronts.
The Savabeel colt out of A Real Princess, purchased by Shadwell Stud was the first horse presented under the Lime Country Thoroughbreds banner for sale in Australia, he is now also the highest priced Savabeel yearling to be sold in Australia in addition to being his breeder John Bromley's greatest success in the sales ring.
"It feels like I'...

Last year's leading purchaser, Shadwell Stud Australasia, were strong again on the opening day of this year's sale purchasing five lots for $2,320,000 to propel them second in the leading purchasers table.
The dearest of those purchases was Lot 22, a colt by Savabeel (Zabeel) from the Lime Country Thoroughbreds draft, which Angus Gold of Shadwell Stud purchased for $620,000 and he told ANZ Bloodstock News the colt would be trained by Lindsay Park.
The colt was part of the first draft offer...

All studs consigning at the coming Inglis Easter Yearling Sale will be feeling the pressure of preparing for the marquee auction, but spare a thought for Lime Country Thoroughbreds, whose build-up has been made all the more stressful by the disruption caused by uprooting from New Zealand to new premises in Australia.
At the end of last year, Greg and Jo Griffin announced they would relocate their boutique breeding, boarding and sales operation to Think Big Stud in New South Wales. In an ambitio...

Lime Country Thoroughbreds has recently taken over Think Big Stud under a lease agreement, and will present its first Easter draft from this location in 2017.
Bluebloods spoke to Jo Griffin about the farm's debut draft and the transition to Australia. Griffin said "The move to Australia was set in motion a year ago and after much planning, in February 2017, we relocated to the beautiful property formerly known as Think Big Stud. It is the property of a lifetime, the opportunity of a lifetime an...

One of New Zealand's top boutique Thoroughbred breeding operations, Lime Country, is transferring its business across the ditch to the NSW Southern Highlands - avoiding the Hunter Valley because of fears for the valley's future.
Lime Country will partner with Think Big Stud, owned by Malaysian horse owner and breeder Dato Tan Chin Nam, the supporter and friend of legendary horse trainer Bart Cummings.
While the deal helps secure Think Big Stud's future, it has also made a strong statement abou...

Ten days after they sell their last lot at the Karaka Sales Series, Jo and Greg Griffin will be driving through the gates at their new base in the lush Southern Highlands of NSW.
At the beginning of the month, the Griffin's announced that they were relocating from their Hastings nursery to the property currently known as Think Big Stud.
Proprietor, Dato Tan Chin Nam, has entrusted the Griffin's to care for his prized bloodstock including the Redoute's Choice colt out of VRC Oaks winner Fain...

A golden opportunity to directly involve themselves in the Australian thoroughbred industry has led to Hawke's Bay couple Greg and Jo Griffin's decision to relocate to New South Wales.
In less than a decade the dynamic pair have developed their Lime Country Thoroughbreds brand as a frontline player in the bloodstock industry. From small beginnings they set up a base at the Lowry family's historic Okawa Stud property offering the full range of agistment, broodmare care, breaking, pre-training an...